Posey set to serve Dover in inaugural volleyball seasonDOVER -- How do you start a volleyball program from the ground up? First-year and program-first Dover Lady Pirates head coach Kaci Posey has a few ideas. "It definitely starts with fundamentals," Posey said. "At first, we just have to get them used to playing volleyball, because many of them have never played. Some of them have never seen a game. "I've coached 11- and 12-year-olds before. You have to teach them how to serve, how to set. You ha...

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSON
sports@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Russellville alum takes over RJHS footballDavid Beal, who took over as head coach of the Russellville Junior High School Whirlwinds around three weeks ago, knows what it takes to be a successful football player -- he was one. Beal, who is in the Russellville Athletic Hall of Fame, is a former all-state quarterback for the Cyclones and went on to play at Texas A&M in college. Beal was recruited by Lou Holtz to play for the University of Arkansas Razorbacks but instead signed with Texas...

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSON
sports@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

New stadium, new field house, new GatorsPLAINVIEW -- Two Rivers head football coach Josh Harrison wants to build his football team on eight derelict weight stations inside his team's new field house. The aptly named "Iron Swamp" is still having the finishing touches installed, but it's habitable and includes more amenities than the Two Rivers football program has ever had. Oh, and more weight stations are likely coming. Harrison hopes to install 20 or 30 yards of turf inside the fie...

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSON
sports@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Fargo or bustZach Snook and Logan Sloss earned the right to represent Arkansas at the National Asics Freestyle and Greco Wrestling Tournament in Fargo, N.D., but there still comes the trouble of paying for the trip. The pair of Russellville Cyclones wrestlers qualified earlier this year at the Arkansas Freestyle and Greco Tournament, where Snook won the 152-pound weight division in Greco, and Sloss won the freestyle in the 145-pound weight division. Sloss ...

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSON
sports@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Campbell to head RHS softballThe Russellville Lady Cyclones softball program will head in a new direction following the resignation of 14-year head coach Harley Sisson. The Russellville School Board voted to hire Collin Campbell as his replacement during a called meeting on Monday. "I've been the head coach here for 14 years, but it's time to hand it off to someone else," Sisson said of his departure. Sisson, who will remain in the district as an assistant football coach,...

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSON
sports@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

RHS competes in Decathlon/HeptathlonSeveral Russellville athletes finished strong in the recent high school decathlon and heptathlon. Tamera Rhode finished fourth in the Heptathlon, and Katelyn Bradley finished 31st. Last year Rhode finished 27th, while Bradley finished 54th, a marked improvement for both athletes. In the decathlon, Zeb Taylor finished 11th out of 77. Taylor improved his finish from 23rd last year. Pictured -- Rhode with her plaque for third place.

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSON
sports@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Posey named Dover's 1st volleyball coachDOVER -- The Lady Pirates' first-year volleyball program has their head coach after Thursday's school board meeting. Recent Arkansas Tech University and Golden Suns player Kaci Posey will begin work at the new program the week after Memorial Day. "She comes highly recommended from Arkansas Tech," Dover athletic director Jason McGhee said. "When she inteviewed, we knew she was someone we wanted in our district." McGhee said there's a lot to do ...

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSON
sports@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Twice as niceFAYETTEVILLE -- Sand Lizards head coach Bryan Hardaway expected a close game on Saturday in the Class 4A state championship, but Dardanelle overwhelmed the Warren Lumberjacks 6-1 to win its second straight title at Razorback Field on the campus of the University of Arkansas. "I thoroughly expected it to be close," Hardaway said. "We ended up with the momentum, a few things bounced our way and things just opened up from there." In the first hal...

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSONsports@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

THEY DID IT!!FAYETTEVILLE -- With a thunderstorm on the horizon and lightning in the batting box, the Pottsville Lady Apaches collected 12 hits on their way to a 11-3 victory over the Nashville Lady Scrappers to win the Class 4A softball state championship. "This feels great," Lady Apaches head coach Greg Jones said after the win. "Anytime you beat a quality program like that it feels great, and to do it in the state championship is even better." Pottvsill...

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSONsports@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Lady Cyclones overpowered in 6A title matchFAYETTEVILLE -- Russellville Lady Cyclones head coach Kelly Young was proud of her soccer team despite a lopsided 6-1 loss to the Siloam Springs Lady Panthers in the Class 6A state championship on Friday at Razorback Field. "We came up here as underdogs," Young said. "So I was happy we had the chance to compete, and I feel like we did in the first half. Not every team gets the opportunity to play for a championship, but here we are." In fact, ...

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSON
sports@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Sand Lizards prepared for title matchDARDANELLE -- Sand Lizards head soccer coach Bryan Hardaway said he doesn't expect Saturday's Class 4A state championship against the Warren Lumberjacks to be anything like their 5-0 win over the Mena Bearcats in last year's title bout. Hardaway said he expects a close, tight game rather than a blowout. "For one, Warren is just a better team than Mena was," he said. "They play like we do. They beat you with their speed and on the wing. They lo...

Suns climb back to 7th in DII national finalsFINDLAY, Ohio -- The Arkansas Tech women's golf team bounced back from a rough opening round by shooting the fifth-lowest score of the day to climb to a tie for seventh after completing the second round of the NCAA Division II National Championships being played at the Findlay Country Club in Findlay, Ohio, on Thursday. Next up The Golden Suns be back in-action today for the third round of the NCAA Division II National Championships. How it ha...

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ATU Athletic CommunicationsThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Sports briefsTwo Rivers football scrimmage today The Two Rivers Gators spring football scrimmage is scheduled for 5:30 p.m today at Gator Field in Ola. Admission is $2 or two towels. River Valley Ducks Unlimited catfish tournament Saturday A catfish tournament to benefit the River Valley Ducks Unlimited is scheduled for 6:30 a.m. on Saturday at Lake Dardanelle State Park. The tournament, which is fishing poles only, is $50 per two-man team and comes with a...

Lady Cyclones rematch Siloam for 6A titleThe Russellville Lady Cyclones soccer team has lost to the Siloam Springs Lady Panthers four times in a row, including in the 2016 Class 6A state championship. To say Friday's game for the 2017 state title is a little about retribution is an understatement. "I think our girls want another shot at them," Russellville head coach Kelly Young said. "The first two games of the regular season, they beat us by one point. The second game, they scored ...

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSON
sports@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Lady Apaches to face Nashville for 4A titlePOTTSVILLE -- There's something poetic about the Pottsville Lady Apaches' rematch with the Nashville Lady Scrappers in Friday's Class 4A state championship. The last time Pottsville reached the final in 2012, it was Nashville that sent them home as runners-up. The Lady Scrappers have won the title three times since 2010. Meanwhile, Pottsville has struggled to make it back to the championship game, although they've been close several times. Lad...

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSON
sports@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Campbell wins Meet of ChampionsCourier sports staff Matt Campbell won the shot put event at the Meet of Champions at Cyclone Stadium on Saturday. Campbell tossed 53-03.50 The Meet of Champions is the final track and field event of the school year and puts the top athletes from every classification against one another to determine who truly is the best of the best. Russellville had several third-place finishers in the Meet of Champions. Tyreek Dorsey finished third in discus...

Lady Cyclone soccer, headed to the 'ship SILOAM SPRINGS — The Russellville Lady Cyclones dropped the Searcy Lions 4-2 in penalty kicks on Saturday to advance to the Class 6A State Championship soccer match. After a scoreless game, including two overtimes, Russellville squared off with Searcy in penalty kicks. Marissa Williams, Cindy Gonzales, Kate Lane and Rachel Prochazka all found the back of the net for the Lady Cyclones, and keeper Onna Collins was steadfast to help push Russellv...

Sand Lizards to play for second titleBATESVILLE -- The Dardanelle Sand Lizards soccer team wasn't satisfied with last year's Class 4A state championship, so they decided to go for two. Dardanelle defeated the Hamburg Lions 3-1 on Saturday in the semifinals of the Class 4A State Tournament and will face the winner between Episcopal and Warren next weekend for the title. "All year long we've been talking about how we won the title last year, but that was last year," Sand Lizards he...

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSON
sports@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

RHS soccer teams reach semifinalsSILOAM SPRINGS -- The Russellville Lady Cyclones shut down the Greenwood Lady Bulldogs on Friday in the 6A state soccer tournament. Rachel Prochazka scored off a pass from Brianna Sparks. Blakely Walker scored off a corner kick from Sofi Moreno. Marissa Williams scored on a direct kick. Prochazka scored again on an assist from Alex Adkins, and Cindy Gonzalez scored an unassisted goal. "We came out like we were supposed to do, with intensity, w...

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Courier staff reportsThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley